The Gift!

The Gift!

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 KJV

Context and Charge:

This was the first public message Peter preached after the Holy Spirit had been sent by God on the apostles. It didn't matter what had gone wrong before; this same man had publicly denied Jesus a few weeks before this message, yet the mercy and the power of God found and restored him. Indeed, no one is ever beyond salvation as long as there is life. The Holy Spirit is a life-changing Influencer, who never leaves a man the same way He met him. This was Simon the reed, now Peter the rock.

He preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, and conviction came. Men came to know that their greatest need was not to possess things, but to be possessed by God. Salvation is man's greatest need, because it is the only way to secure eternal life with God. The old nature can't give you eternal life, as it is destined for death and hell. Only by total surrender is a man able to take hold of that which is truly life. I must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. There has to be a change in focus, direction and pursuit to line up with the blessing promised here, who is the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

The Holy Spirit is central to this discussion. A man cannot truly repent if he is not convicted of sin. The conviction leads to a desire for change, which is repentance from sin and a fresh pursuit of God. Baptism, water or spirit, has physical and spiritual dimensions. Where available, you go down to the water as a symbol of dying to sin, and are raised up to the start of a new life in God. You get a measure of the Holy Spirit, and then grow in your knowledge and experience of Him. Can I say, with certainty, that I am saved? 

It all starts with the surrender and submission to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. That, you can't negotiate. God gives the Holy Spirit as the seal of this process above. You do not get the Holy Spirit simply by wishing or coveting him for personal use. Like all gifts, He comes from God the source of all good, and He will not promote that which does not give God glory. Like all gifts, I must accept Him as the Giver intends, not as I want. Like all gifts, He is to improve my life, so I must listen to Him and be willing to be guided by Him. Do I have Him? Do you? God's time of favour is here.